Ithamar אִיתָמָר
Youngest son of Aaron; served as priest.
Biography
Ithamar was the fourth and youngest son of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel (Exo.6.23). He served as a priest alongside his brothers Nadab, Abihu, and Eleazar (Num.3.2). After the deaths of Nadab and Abihu for offering unauthorized fire before the Lord (Lev.10.1-2), Ithamar and Eleazar were warned not to mourn for them openly (Lev.10.6).
Ithamar assisted his father Aaron and his brother Eleazar in their priestly duties (Exo.28.1; Num.3.4). He was responsible for overseeing the Gershonites and Merarites, two of the Levite clans, in their tabernacle duties (Num.4.28,33). During the dedication of the tabernacle, Ithamar assisted Moses in receiving the offerings from the tribal leaders (Num.7.8).
Ithamar's descendants continued to serve as priests (1Ch.24.1-6). They were divided into divisions for their appointed duties, just as Aaron's other descendants were. One of Ithamar's notable descendants was Eli, who served as high priest and judge in Israel (1Sa.14.3; 1Ki.2.27).
In Ezr.8.2, a descendant of Ithamar named Daniel is mentioned among the priests who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile. This highlights the continuity of Ithamar's lineage in the priesthood.
Family
Parents
Siblings
In Scripture
5 biblical books ; 3 with study contentExodus 3 verses Study available
- Exodus 6:23
"Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, as his wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar."
Study Exodus → - Exodus 28:1
"“Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons."
Study Exodus → - Exodus 38:21
"These are the amounts of materials used for the tabernacle, even the Tabernacle of the Testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest."
Study Exodus →
Leviticus 3 verses Study available
- Leviticus 10:6
"Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, “Don’t let the hair of your heads go loose, and don’t tear your clothes, so that you don’t die, and so that he will not be angry with all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the..."
Study Leviticus → - Leviticus 10:12
"Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the meal offering that remains of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar; for it is most holy;"
Study Leviticus → - Leviticus 10:16
"Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burned. He was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying,"
Study Leviticus →
Numbers 5 verses
- Numbers 3:2
"These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar."
- Numbers 3:4
"Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh when they offered strange fire before Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron their father."
- Numbers 4:28
"This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the Tent of Meeting. Their duty shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."
- Numbers 4:33
"This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”"
- Numbers 7:8
"He gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."
1 Chronicles 5 verses
- 1 Chronicles 6:3
"The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar."
- 1 Chronicles 24:1
"These were the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar."
- 1 Chronicles 24:2
"But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s office."
- 1 Chronicles 24:3
"David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their ordering in their service."
- 1 Chronicles 24:4
"There were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and they were divided like this: of the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen, heads of fathers’ houses; and of the sons of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ houses, eight."
Ezra 1 verse Study available
- Ezra 8:2
"Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush."
Study Ezra →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | אִיתָמָר | H0385 |
Ithamar
"Bible:Exod.6.23">Ex 6:23; 28:1; 1Ch 6:3), Eleazar being the 3rd son, Nadab and Abihu the 1st and 2nd sons. While Nadab and Abihu were prematurely cut off for offering strange fire before the Lord (Le 10:1,2; Nu 3:4; 26:61), and Eleazar was appointed chief of the tribe of Levi (Ex 6:23,25) and ultimately succeeded Aaron (Ex 28:1), Ithamar was made the treasurer of the offerings for the Tabernacle (Ex 38:21), and superintendent of the Gershonites and Merarites in the service of the Tabernacle (Nu 4:28,33). In the time of Eli the high-priesthood had come to be in his family, but how, and whether before Eli's day or first in Eli's person, is not told and need not be conjectured. W. R. Smith in Encyclopedia Biblica (art. "Eli"), on the strength of 1Sa 2:27,28, holds that the priesthood was originally in Eli's line; but the words "the house of thy father" do not necessarily mean only the house of Ithamar, but may, and most probably do, refer to Aaron and his descendants, of whom Ithamar was one. Nor does the cutting off of Eli's family from the priesthood and the setting in their place of "a faithful priest," who should do everything according to Yahweh's will and walk before Yahweh's anointed forever, find its complete fulfillment in the deposition of Abiathar or Ahimelech, his son, and the installation of Zadok in the time of Solomon (1Ki 2:35; 1Ch 29:22; see ZADOK). A descendant of Ithamar, Daniel by name, is mentioned among the exiles who returned from Babylon (Ezr 8:2).
T. Whitelaw
(1) A son of Jeshaiah of the tribe of Benjamin, mentioned among the inhabitants of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day (Ne 11:7).
(2) The name is